research-article

Execution levels for aspect-oriented programming

Author:

Éric TanterAuthors Info & Claims

AOSD '10: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Aspect-Oriented Software Development

Pages 37 - 48

https://doi.org/10.1145/1739230.1739236

Published: 15 March 2010 Publication History

Abstract

In aspect-oriented programming languages, advice evaluation is usually considered as part of the base program evaluation. This is also the case for certain pointcuts, such as if pointcuts in AspectJ, or simply all pointcuts in higher-order aspect languages like AspectScheme. While viewing aspects as part of base level computation clearly distinguishes AOP from reflection, it also comes at a price: because aspects observe base level computation, evaluating pointcuts and advice at the base level can trigger infinite regression. To avoid these pitfalls, aspect languages propose ad-hoc mechanisms, which increase the complexity for programmers while being insufficient in many cases. After shedding light on the many facets of the issue, this paper proposes to clarify the situation by introducing levels of execution in the programming language, thereby allowing aspects to observe and run at specific, possibly different, levels. We adopt a defensive default that avoids infinite regression in all cases, and give advanced programmers the means to override this default using level shifting operators. We formalize the semantics of our proposal, and provide an implementation. This work recognizes that different aspects differ in their intended nature, and shows that structuring execution contexts helps tame the power of aspects and metaprogramming.

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Kassab MFernandes J(2025)The Forgotten Potential: Why Aspect-Oriented Programming Faded AwayComputer10.1109/MC.2024.350927258:3(100-104)Online publication date: Mar-2025
https://doi.org/10.1109/MC.2024.3509272
Yoshizawa MWashizaki HFukazawa YOkubo TKaiya HYoshioka N(2016)Implementation Support of Security Design Patterns Using Test TemplatesInformation10.3390/info70200347:2(34)Online publication date: 15-Jun-2016
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Binder WMoret PTanter ÉAnsaloni D(2016)Polymorphic bytecode instrumentationSoftware—Practice & Experience10.1002/spe.238546:10(1351-1380)Online publication date: 1-Oct-2016
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Index Terms

Execution levels for aspect-oriented programming
1. Software and its engineering
  1. Software notations and tools
    1. Formal language definitions
    2. General programming languages
      1. Language features
2. Theory of computation
  1. Formal languages and automata theory

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cover image ACM Other conferences

AOSD '10: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Aspect-Oriented Software Development

March 2010

242 pages

ISBN:9781605589589

DOI:10.1145/1739230

General Chair:
Jean-Marc Jezequel
Université of Rennes 1 and INRIA, France
,
Program Chair:
Mario Sudholt
Ecole des mines and INRIA, France

Copyright © 2010 ACM.

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AOSA: Aspect-Oriented Software Association

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Published: 15 March 2010

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AOSD '10: Ninth International Conference on Aspect-Oriented Software Development

March 15 - 19, 2010

Rennes and Saint-Malo, France

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Overall Acceptance Rate 41 of 139 submissions, 29%

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Cited By

Kassab MFernandes J(2025)The Forgotten Potential: Why Aspect-Oriented Programming Faded AwayComputer10.1109/MC.2024.350927258:3(100-104)Online publication date: Mar-2025
https://doi.org/10.1109/MC.2024.3509272
Yoshizawa MWashizaki HFukazawa YOkubo TKaiya HYoshioka N(2016)Implementation Support of Security Design Patterns Using Test TemplatesInformation10.3390/info70200347:2(34)Online publication date: 15-Jun-2016
https://doi.org/10.3390/info7020034
Binder WMoret PTanter ÉAnsaloni D(2016)Polymorphic bytecode instrumentationSoftware—Practice & Experience10.1002/spe.238546:10(1351-1380)Online publication date: 1-Oct-2016
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1002/spe.2385
Bockisch Cvan 't Riet MYin HAksit MLin ZChen YZhao JMorandat FZendra O(2015)Trace-based debugging for advanced-dispatching programming languagesProceedings of the 10th Workshop on Implementation, Compilation, Optimization of Object-Oriented Languages, Programs and Systems10.1145/2843915.2843922(1-10)Online publication date: 4-Jul-2015
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2843915.2843922
Papoulias NDenker MDucasse SFabresse LWainwright RCorchado JBechini AHong J(2015)Reifying the reflectogramProceedings of the 30th Annual ACM Symposium on Applied Computing10.1145/2695664.2695883(1978-1985)Online publication date: 13-Apr-2015
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2695664.2695883
Teruel CWernli EDucasse SNierstrasz O(2015)Propagation of Behavioral Variations with Delegation ProxiesTransactions on Aspect-Oriented Software Development XII10.1007/978-3-662-46734-3_2(63-95)Online publication date: 20-Mar-2015
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-46734-3_2
Tanter ÉFigueroa ITabareau N(2014)Execution levels for aspect-oriented programmingScience of Computer Programming10.5555/2748144.274839480:PB(311-342)Online publication date: 1-Feb-2014
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.5555/2748144.2748394
Wernli ENierstrasz OTeruel CDucasse SPeternier ABinder WErnst EHirschfeld R(2014)Delegation proxiesProceedings of the 13th international conference on Modularity10.1145/2577080.2577081(1-12)Online publication date: 22-Apr-2014
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2577080.2577081
Bodden ETanter ÉInostroza M(2014)Join point interfaces for safe and flexible decoupling of aspectsACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology10.1145/255993323:1(1-41)Online publication date: 20-Feb-2014
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2559933
Yoshizawa MKobashi TWashizaki HFukazawa YOkubo TKaiya HYoshioka N(2014)Verifying Implementation of Security Design Patterns Using a Test TemplateProceedings of the 2014 Ninth International Conference on Availability, Reliability and Security10.1109/ARES.2014.31(178-183)Online publication date: 8-Sep-2014
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1109/ARES.2014.31
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